Pictured: Patent Celluloid Watch Dial from the Keystone Watch Company with excerpt from the March 1888 issue of The Jewelers’ Circular and Horological Review. In February 1888, while Abraham Bitner was the superintendent of the Keystone Standard Watch Company in Lancaster, he journeyed to Chicago to discuss starting a company to manufacture watch dials. Bitner had also recently led the Keystone company in developing a non-magnetic watch movement using new alloys that were not influenced by magnetism and likely used to trip to showcase the innovative movement. As discussed previously, Bitner was granted a patent on April 5, 1881 for his paper watch dial. While this concept initially failed in the market, Bitner had revitalized the idea using celluloid shortly after the reorganization of the company under the Keystone Standard Watch Company name. Seeing the possible viability of celluloid dials at Keystone, Bitner began exploring options to manufacture the watch dial at a greater scale.  However, nothing ever materialized from this idea. A little over a year later, Bitner was fired from his post as superintendent at the Keystone factory, beginning the inevitable unraveling and failure of the company. ... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 1 day ago

Pictured: The Lancaster Watch Company Factory, Published in History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Ellis and Evans, 1883 The accompanying image represents the Lancaster Watch Company factory as it appeared in 1883. The building was built on three acres of land donated by Charles Augustus Bitner, brother of Abraham Bitner. Both Bitner brothers remained associated with the various reformations of the watch company in Lancaster into the 1880s - Charles as a primary investor and Abraham as the superintendent. Originally constructed for the Adams & Perry Manufacturing Company, the factory building was completed in June 1875 and occupied the next month.  Fortunately, this is one of the iconic watch factories that has survived the trials of history, repurposed to house luxury condominiums and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 2 days ago

Pictured: Abraham Bitner, Published in History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Ellis and Evans, 1883 From an early age, Abraham Bitner was involved in many business ventures around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, ultimately entangling him within the unstable depths of the American watch industry. Born in Lancaster in 1836, Bitner developed an ambitious tenacity as a young child. By age thirteen, the determined teenager involved himself in the freighting business of Bitner & Brother, running railroad cars from Lancaster to Philadelphia. Soon after, he became employed as a clerk in a flouring mill, where he also operated some of the machinery. In 1857, Abraham was lured back into the family business by taking charge of the Bitner & Brother operation.  However, this involvement did not last long. Bitner’s previous experience in the mill led to him to form a partnership, organizing Acheson & Bitner to produce flour and grains... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 3 days ago